Established in 1996, when public relations in China was still very much in its infancy, BlueFocus is now the largest independent public relations firm in the country, with more than 600 employs in 21 offices and revenues for 2010 of more than $50 million. It is also the most respected of the country’s independent players, and solidified this reputation by becoming the first Chinese PR agency to go public, listing on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in early 2010.
That decision came after considerable courting from global networks, including a 2006 dalliance with Huntsworth Group that almost reached consummation. Instead the agency’s listing impressed and its stock price has held reasonably steady in the ensuing months, and BlueFocus is now exhorting other Chinese independents to follow their lead rather than sell out.
The firm is distinguished by its impressive media relationships, which extend beyond the major cities through an unparalleled regional network, by a strong team of senior consultants, by its client roster—companies such as Cisco and Lenovo have been clients for more than a decade—and increasingly by its strong credentials in crisis communications and digital public relations.
After opening in Beijing a dozen years ago, BFC launched its second office in Shanghai in 1997, moved into Guangzhou and Chengdu in 1998 and added Xi’an in 2000, before expanding to create what is almost certainly the most comprehensive network in the market—now more than 20 cities—in 2004. It has grown consistently by between 20 and 50 percent a year since then: last year’s revenue growth is likely to average around 30 percent as BlueFocus rebounded from a slightly tough 2009. For the first three quarters of the year, fee income exceeded $28 million.
New business featured a strong automotive haul, including Shanghai Volkswagen, GM China and Honda, while new consumer accounts included Citizen and Kunlun Mountains. These join a client portfolio that already includes 30 Fortune 500 clients: Lenovo, Canon, Baidu, AMD, Sony Ericsson, Guangzhou Toyota and Chryselr, Mengniu Dairy, Mead Johnson and Siemens.
After successfully building out its digital communications capabilities in recent years, BlueFocus expanded into entertainment marketing in 2010. The agency produced an opera and also online soap operas, in conjunction with its clients, tapping into an increasingly popular media habit. The firm’s expertise extends from publicity to strategic planning, from media relations to crisis management, from event management to online communications and it works across all major industry sectors, from automotive to financial services to healthcare to technology.
The senior leadership team is, not surprisingly, among the deepest in the Chinese marketplace. Co-founder and chief executive Oscar Zhao continues to play an active role, while president Mao Yuhui, a high-tech sector leader who joined the firm in 1999, now handles day-to-day management of the firm, supported by several vice presidents, including Mao Chen, managing director of the Guangzhou office and automobile sector leader; Shanghai MD Ma Li, who also serves as FMCG sector leader; Wu Zhefei, healthcare sector leader; Li Lin, finance sector leader; Zhao Yun, who is in charge of BFC’s event management group; and Chen Yang, chief media consultant.
Interesting assignments in 2010 included support for Lenovo’s new Love Phone, a direct competitor to the iPhone and the launch of the Shanghai Volkswagen SUV. But perhaps the most significant development of the past year was a partnership with Japanese advertising and public relations giant Dentsu to launch Dentsu BlueFocus Public Relations Consulting, a PR agency with a network spanning 23 cities in China. The new company will be owned by BlueFocus (51 percent), Dentsu (34 percent), and Dentsu PR (15 percent). BlueFocus will bring its national network of offices and expertise in the growing Chinese public relations market, as well as its media and government relations experience into the joint venture, while Dentsu and Dentsu PR will contribute experience in PR planning and crisis management consulting.—AS